Anti-snoring device



April 1967 w. s. M KINSTRY ANTI-SNORING DEVICE Filed Feb. 23, 1965 FIIGI FIG. 2

1N VEN TOR.

FIG?) BYWILLIAM '5. Mo KINSTRY Jweffwyfiimz ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofitice 3,312,217 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 3,312,217 ANTI-SNORING DEVICE William S. McKinstry, 1520 Waterbury Road,

Lakewood, Ohio 44107 Filed Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,281 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-136) This invention relates in general to an anti-snoring device, and more particularly to an adjustable and comfortable anti-snoring device.

There are various devices known for maintaining, or attempting to maintain, the mouth of a sleeping person in generally closed condition for preventing snoring by such person. However, these devices usually possess certain major disadvantages, such as being too cumbersome, or necessarily complicated, or economically prohibitive from a cost standpoint, or too uncomfortable for effective use.

The present invention provides a simplified device for very comfortably holding the mouth of a sleeping person in closed condition, to prevent snoring by such person, and a device that can be readily adjusted by the user to expeditiously compensate for different physical characteristics or dimensions existing between different people.

Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide a novel anti-snoring device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel anti-snoring device which may be readily adjusted for effective use by people possessing different physical dimensions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel anti-snoring device which is effective in operation, simplified in construction, economical to manufacture, and extremely comfortable in use.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel anti-snoring device comprising a cup-like chin member for receiving the chin of the user therein, and adjustable means, for anchoring the chin member to the head of the user, for holding the mouth of the user in closed condition;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary generally diagrammatic illustration of the anti-snoring device of the invention as mounted on the user to hold the latters mouth in closed condition.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, generally perspective view of the anti-snoring device of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the anti-snoring device, and illustrating in particular the cuplike chin receiving member of the device.

Referring now again to the drawings, the anti-snoring device 10, may comprise a chin receiving member 12, which is preferably of the cup-shaped configuration illustrated, and which may be formed of molda-ble materials, such as plastic or rubber which conveniently lend themselves for formation into the desired cup shaped configuration. The interior of the chin member 12 is preferably covered with a layer of soft cloth 14, or any other suitable material, such as sponge rubber or soft foamed plastic, for increasing the comfort of the device to the wearer. Such layer 14 may be readily secured to the chin member 12 by means of any suitable adhesive. Looplike portions 16 may be provided on opposite ends of the chin member 12, for connecting the strap-like portions'18 thereto.

Strap-like portions 18 are preferably adjustable in length, as by means of the buckle members 20, and are also preferably formed of an inner section 22, which has elastic characteristics, for providing some give to the strap-like portions, and an outer section 24 which may be formed of cloth tape or the like, which is not inherently resilient. Attachment of the elastic or resilient sections 22 can be readily made to the loop-portions 16 by passing the elastic tape through the respective loop and then sewing it as at 26.

Each of strap portions 18 may be connected to a hookshaped ear anchoring member 28, which is preferably formed of plastic material having a preferably malleablelike metal wire 30 encased therein, so that the ear anchoring members 28 may be selectively bent or deformed into any desired condition for comfortably anchoring the chin member 12 to the ears of the wearer, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The anchoring members 28 may be provided with eyelets 30a thereon, for conveniently attaching the flat strap-like members 18 to the ear anchoring members 28. Eyelets 30a are preferably formed so as to be disposed in the plane of the respective ear anchoring member.

Thus, the anti-snoring device as can be seen in FIG. 1, can be readily and comfortably attached to the head of the wearer and will effectively hold the mouth of the wearer in closed condition when the wearer is sleeping. The strap-like members while holding the mouth of the wearer in closed condition, permit forced opening of the mouth of the wearer due to the resilient sections 22, and thus resiliently hold the mouth of the wearer in closed condition. The wearer can readily move his head, and can turn over the like, without interference from the anti-snoring device, such arrangement resulting in a very comfortable device which will not interfere with sleeping of the wearer, but will still effectively hold the wearers mouth in a closed condition.

An important feature of the anti-snoring device is that the user can purchase the device and readily adjust the same to his particular physical dimensions and characteristics, due to different sizes of jaws, different distances between the jaw and the ears, different sizes of ears, etc. of various people. Thus the device can be readily and quickly adapted for use by any individual without having to custom make the devices. Once the straps 18 are adjusted, the elastic sections 22 permit quick installation and/or removal of the device on and from the head of the wearer, without the necessity of readjusting the straps each time.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings it will be seen that the invention provides a novel anti-snoring device which is highly effective for holding the mouth of a sleeper in closed condition for preventing snoring, and one which is comfortable to wear and will not interfere with the sleeping or the body movements of the sleeping wearer, and one which is readily adjustable to the particular requirements or desires of the user.

The terms and expressions which have been used are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of any of the features shown or described, or portions thereof, and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. An anti-snoring device comprising a cup-like chin member of a size adapted to receive only the chin of the wearer therein, said chin member being formed of plastic and having means on opposite sides thereof attaching strap-like members thereto, each of said strap-like members comprising an inner elastic section attached to said chin member and an outer non-elastic section coupled to said elastic section, means for adjusting the length of each of said non-elastic sections, and arcuate hook-shaped ear gripping members attached to the respective non-elastic section, each of said ear gripping members being formed of plastic and being deformable to conform to the contour of the wearers ears, said ear gripping members being adapted to partially encircle the wearers ears at the juncture of the latter to the wearers head and to hold the chin member in predetermined relationship to the ears of the wearer to maintain the wearers mouth in closed condition during sleeping of the wearer.

21 An anti-snoring device comprising, a chin member of cup-like configuration and of a size adapted to receive only the chin of the wearer therein, the inner surface of said chin member having a layer of soft material covering the same, strap-like members connected to opposite sides of said chin member, each of said strap-like members comprising an inner portion of elastic material attached to said chin member and an outer portion of non-elastic material attached to said inner portion, means including a buckle on each of said non-elastic portions for adjusting the length of the respective strap-like member, and

an arcuate hook-shaped ear holding member attached to each of said non-elastic portions and adapted to be received in partially encompassing relation about the ears of the wearer at the juncture of the wearers ears to the wearers head, to hold the chin member in predetermined position with respect to the ears of the wearer and thus hold the mouth of the wearer in closed condition, said ear holding members being formed of deformable plastic and having means embedded therein providing for selective deformation of the ear holding members for selective conformity to the ears of the wearer, said elastic portions of said strap-like members permitting forced relative movement between said chin member and said ear holding members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,992,904 2/1935 Preston 128164 2,711,730 6/1955 Rogers l28164 2,774,970 12/1956 Du Bois 2--9 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

2. AN ANTI-SNORING DEVICE COMPRISING, A CHIN MEMBER OF CUP-LIKE CONFIGURATION AND OF A SIZE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ONLY THE CHIN OF THE WEARER THEREIN, THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CHIN MEMBER HAVING A LAYER OF SOFT MATERIAL COVERING THE SAME, STRAP-LIKE MEMBERS CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CHIN MEMBER, EACH OF SAID STRAP-LIKE MEMBERS COMPRISING AN INNER PORTION OF ELASTIC MATERIAL ATTACHED TO SAID CHIN MEMBER AND AN OUTER PORTION OF NON-ELASTIC MATERIAL ATTACHED TO SAID INNER PORTION, MEANS INCLUDING A BUCKLE ON EACH OF SAID NON-ELASTIC PORTIONS FOR ADJUSTING THE LENGTH OF THE RESPECTIVE STRAP-LIKE MEMBER, AND AN ARCUATE HOOK-SHAPED EAR HOLDING MEMBER ATTACHED TO EACH OF SAID NON-ELASTIC PORTIONS AND ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED IN PARTIALLY ENCOMPASSING RELATION ABOUT THE EARS OF THE WEARER AT THE JUNCTURE OF THE WEARER''S EARS TO THE WEARER''S HEAD, TO HOLD THE CHIN MEMBER IN PREDETERMINED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE EARS OF THE WEARER AND THUS HOLD THE MOUTH OF THE WEARER IN CLOSED CONDITION, SAID EAR HOLDING MEMBERS BEING FORMED OF DEFORMABLE PLASTIC AND HAVING MEANS EMBEDDED THEREIN PROVIDING FOR SELECTIVE DEFORMATION OF THE EAR HOLDING MEMBERS FOR SELECTIVE CONFORMITY TO THE EARS OF THE WEARER, SAID ELASTIC PORTIONS OF SAID STRAP-LIKE MEMBERS PERMITTING FORCED RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID CHIN MEMBER AND SAID EAR HOLDING MEMBERS. 